The latest cruising news from the Northern Hemisphere and the world.
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15 Sep 2016 |
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Fire in the hold!
| Mischief alight, as taken by Noel when they sped away in the tinnie. Event Media | Sure. Sure. The real command is fire in the hole, and that sort of works here too, given that it was down below decks, but this is a nautical site, so we need to stay on theme. At any rate, like the explosion you see above, this little ditty had its almost instantaneous genesis as a result of working on an account of fire on board. Undoubtedly, this would have to be every mariner's worst nightmare.
This one was electrical and almost instantaneous in both the way it took hold and the need to get off – expressly! You see it was all ablaze in just the three minutes, and if were not for the forethought of the owner, two things would not have occurred. The first was to grab the mobile on the way to the tender, which is what provided this image, and the second was that the painter holding said dinghy to the vessel was actually a loop over a hook.
Of the latter point, Noel Elliott said quite simply, “I reckon that if I had to actually untie the tender, then I would have been right in amongst that explosion.” It is more than handy and downright fortuitous that he did get off, for he also passed on some valuable feedback on the effectiveness of dry powder type extinguishers.
Elliot used five extinguishers in the brief moments he had to try and deal with the inferno and also get off. “All you get are facefulls of powder and toxic fumes. You cannot see or breathe and the powder comes back at you with interest. You only get the one chance to stop a fire aboard, so you must do it within about 30 seconds. Otherwise it is time to clear out. Powder extinguishers are hopeless in an engine room and I now have automatic foam installed”, said Elliott.
| All that remains of a spare, small outboard. Event Media |
To try and give some magnitude to the heat involved here, there was a second aluminium dinghy on board and an alloy dive compressor and tanks. When they returned to inspect the vessel, none of these could be found, save for the valves at the head of the tanks. So it all goes to show you that you either quell the beast quickly, or indeed it is time to depart, for this is one BBQ you do not want to attend!
Ultimately, after applying the lessons about practical items like fire extinguishers, it makes you consider your insurance quite closely. Have you read it and understood it? Is it all-risk and are the exclusions named on just the one page, or do you need a law degree to comprehend what it is trying to not say?! Do you have a real, agreed fixed value on the vessel, so that if it were to go to custard, such as it did above, you knew there would be a cheque waiting for you from the very people who helped clean up all the mess after it had gone down.
Being a true, global bluewater insurer, I asked Pantaenius Australia's Jamie MacPhail for his thoughts on the subject. “Definitely having the one policy that can cover you all over the globe is a complete bonus. All our clients have to do is tell us where they are going to be cruising and we change zone at the same time as altering premium. Pantaenius has built its name over the last 40 years by not only having a worldwide policy, but the experts on the ground all over the globe to provide real time assistance in your time zone.”
| Great Barrier Reef Travel OZ |
OK. In this newsletter you will find terrific material on everything from HMS Terror being located after a century and a half on the bottom of the Northwest Passage to video on the Great Barrier Reef. The latter has had a hard time after a super-hot Summer last season, but there is hope and parts are doing very well – here's proof!
Now I don't have to worry about it personally, but I did love the Devin's piece on cruising with teenagers. Of course, we also have some of those great images and articles from the Langfords on board SV Taipan in one hemisphere and then the Payne's in the other. B&G with Knut Frostad show us how one of the world's greatest sailors sees life aboard his new cat with his young family.
So you see, there are tales, lessons, inspirations and history to regale yourself with. Please do enjoy... We're loving bringing you the best stories from all over the globe.
Now then, are you out there plying the seas and got something to say? We'd love to hear from you via editor@sail-world.com – In the meantime, do you love being on the ocean? Well remember to love them back too. They need our help. Now more than ever! Until next time...
John Curnow
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